The Plan in the Pub
by danausplexxipus
Summary: Absence from those we love is self from self, a deadly banishment.  What if Hannah hadn't called Bones after she rejected Booth's proposal? What if Booth didn't tell anyone about he and Hannah's breakup? Can he fix his lies? Or is it too late
1. The Revelation in the Alcohol

**Authors Note: While this may be my first FanFiction story, I have read many stories to get the jist of it, but please don't be too harsh. **

**Overview: This story begins a month after Hannah rejects Booth's proposal. However, in this story, Hannah did not call Bones, so no one knows about Booth's breakup. After a month of being given the cold shoulder, Brennan takes matters into her own hands. Can Booth fix his mistakes, or is it too late for them to find happiness together?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.**

* * *

She was not afraid.

That was surprising for she was about to leave the world she knew for a one of mystery and full of the unknown. She would no longer be surrounded by those she once considered family.

'This is for the best,' she thought as she took one last look around her barren apartment.

The movers had already taken all of her furniture and precious artifacts to storage. She knew she would return some day, and when she did, her apartment would once again be filled with her tokens of the past. But for now, they would rest in the storage, gathering dust, until the day she returned.

* * *

His apartment had been quite lonely since Hannah left. And yet, he didn't seem to mind that much. It had been a month since he proposed, and it had been a month since she had rejected him. The pain of the rejection stung, and he found out that he could drown out that sting with lies and alcohol.

The weeks succeeding their breakup, Booth put on a façade for all who knew him. While he was at work or out with friends, he would pretend he had the perfect life. No one knew that Hannah had rejected his marriage proposal; no one knew that they were no longer together. He hadn't bothered telling anyone because if he did then it would be real. As long as he kept it to himself, Hannah's rejection didn't seem that bad.

Sweets had been a slight problem. He had been there when Booth had bought the ring, and he knew of Booth's plans of proposing. And that had triggered a lie, the first lie of many. Booth had simply told Sweets that he was planning on waiting because of Hannah's assignment in Chicago. When Sweets began to pester him about when Hannah would return, Booth would blurt out another lie, or just deflect the questions and move on to another topic.

With Bones it hadn't been that easy.

When Hannah left, Booth realized how empty his life began. The time that he had once spent with Hannah, and before that Bones, he now spent at home, drowning his sorrows in beer. Bones tried to make an effort to have lunch or drinks during or after a case, but he began to reject her more readily. It didn't feel good rejecting her and lying to her. In fact what he wanted the most was to swoop her up in his arms and never let him go. But he couldn't do that. Not now. Not after everything he had put her through.

What he didn't know was that by him turning a cold shoulder to Bones, her rational mind jumped to the conclusion that he didn't want to be friends with her. So gradually, the lunch offers stopped coming, and the celebratory drinks were no more.

It had been a week since he had last seen her, but this wasn't something new. Since Hannah came into the picture, if they didn't have a case, they wouldn't see each other for long extended periods of time. But when he walked into the lab on a cold February day, something seemed different. And immediately he was informed of what had changed.

*slap*

"You messed up big time, G-man," said a voice dripping with fury.

"Oww," Booth groaned, as he grasped his cheek which was now stinging in pain.

He turned to see who his assailant was, and was surprised to see the very heavily pregnant and clearly very angry Angela Montenegro.

"How could you?" Angela whispered her eyes narrowed and fierce as she stared him straight through him.

"Angela, what are you talking about?" Booth asked as he looked around for his partner.

"Brennan."

That had caught his attention. He whipped his head back towards Angela.

"What about her?"

"She's gone," Angela muttered, her anger becoming more and more apparent.

Booth froze. No. It couldn't be.

"What do you mean she's gone?" He asked, almost scared for the answer.

"She's gone. She left. Some fancy museum in Italy offered her a job as being the head of an excavation going on in southern Sicily. Apparently they discovered a cave in which human remains were found dating back to the Stone Age."

Booth's eyes grew wider and wider as Angela explained the dig Brennan was allegedly on.

"Bren wasn't going to go, you know. She had considered it, but with the baby coming so soon, she wanted to be here for his or her birth," Angela said. "But with you acting like a cold fish for the past few weeks she reconsidered it. Now she's gone. And it's all your fault."

Booth stood there, in complete shock. He hadn't been expecting that at all. How could she have left without telling him? How could she have left without saying goodbye? He knew he hadn't been the best of friends to her lately but he didn't think it would drive her to leave.

Realizing that he had been standing there, staring at Angela like a complete idiot, he opened his mouth to say something but was quickly cut off by Angela.

"Save it. Theres nothing that you can say that will fix this. You know Bren, once she's made up her mind, there's no changing it," she barked. "And don't you think for a minute you can sweet talk me into giving up her location. Because I will not allow you to contact her. You broke her when you came back with Hannah. I forgave you because I thought it would be a fling. When it turned out to be the 'real deal' I didn't know if Bren could handle it. Turns out I was right. You should have seen her eyes when she told me she was leaving. It was heart-breaking. But she was happy about one thing, getting away from you."

Angela paused, gauging his reaction. His chocolate brown eyes mirrored that of Brennan's when she had left. 'Good,' Angela thought. 'He deserves to be in pain.'

"You've caused her so much pain by being with Hannah," Angela continued. "She couldn't handle it anymore. Theres no way I am letting you ruin this for her. She finally has the opportunity to get over you. All you're going to do is open healing wounds. I cant let you do that. Her heart can't take it.

"You've caused her so much pain" Angela said again. "And I cant let you keep doing that."

And with that, she spun on her heel and stalked off leaving Booth numb at the bottom of the steps of the forensics lab.

Slowly, the feeling came back to his extremities, and he walked out of the lab on auto-pilot. Before he knew it he arrived at his FBI standard SUV and climbed into the driver's seat.

He sat there for a few moments mulling over the information he was just given.

Bones.

His Bones.

Was gone.

'Shit,' Booth thought to himself. "What have I done?'

* * *

Booth thought about going home, but home didn't seem so appealing when there was no one to go home to. So instead, he went to a bar.

The Founding Fathers was a tempting option, but he wouldn't be able to handle seeing anyone he knew there. He knew if he was confronted by one of the squints, he wouldn't be able to keep up his charade. He was done with lying. He was done with his self-pity. Booth had lost everything important in his life, with the exception of Parker. First Hannah, and now Bones. He realized that the depressed state he had been in for the past month had done nothing but harm the people he cared most about. And by people, he meant person. And by person, he meant Bones.

Booth sat at one of the open bar stools that were lined up at the counter. The bar was crowded for a Thursday. It seemed that he was not the only one drowning his sorrows in alcohol today. He signaled the bartender and ordered a shot of the strongest scotch that they had. He downed it in one big gulp.

The liquor burned as it made its way down his throat and into his stomach. But the burning in his throat took away from the pain of the gaping hole in his heart, so he ordered another. And another. And another.

After about his fifth shot, his mind began whirring. What was he doing in some ratty bar while Bones was off in Europe thinking he didn't care? He needed to fix things. As soon as possible. For his sake, and hers.

Booth had a plan. And if his plan worked, all his past sufferings would be worth the happiness he planned to achieve. But first, he needed to make amends with one very angry expectant mother.


	2. The Flashback in the Forensic Lab

**Author's Note: You may feel that the characters are a bit OOC, but it fits with the story I'm trying to tell. Please review and tell me how I'm doing :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.**

* * *

After catching a cab home, Booth lay in his bed, thinking over his plan. He needed to have Bones in his life. As a friend, partner or maybe even lover? Even if she would only agree to be his partner, he would do it. He realized that there was no moving on from her. He had tried with Hannah, and failed with Hannah. If a woman as beautiful and smart as Hannah couldn't cut it, then nothing but the real deal would. And Bones, was the real deal.

So as he was taking shots at the pub, a plan formed in Booth's mind. He would fight for her. He would not give up on them even if she had already moved on. He would always be waiting in the wings for his chance to swoop her up. And once he did. He was certain he would never let go.

But before Booth could do any of this, he needed to find her. Bones was off on some dig in Italy, almost 5,000 miles away from D.C. where he was, yearning for her. Booth had to find her exact location before he made any final plans. He knew he had to see her as soon as possible. He couldn't wait until she came back from her dig because who knows when that would be. If she was really in as much pain as Angela said she was, then she would be gone for a very long time. And Booth definitely could not wait for her. He needed to fix things. Preferably before she could lock up those feelings she claimed to have had for him.

Light streamed in through the open blinds in Booth's bedroom, waking him at around 5:30, an hour before he needed to be awake. His groaned at the bright lights that were making his head pound.

'Maybe choosing the strongest scotch wasn't the smartest decision,' Booth groaned as he rolled over onto his stomach to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight and catch some more sleep before he got up for his day.

After about another hour of shut eye, Booth unwillingly pulled himself out of bed. He quickly showered and changed into his FBI standard issue suit. No longer did he wear goofy socks and wild ties. No, instead he wore the regulation black ties and socks.

As he was groping for his other sock in his drawer, his fingers hit something cold and metallic. A flash of red caught his eye, and Booth pulled at the unknown object. It was his cocky belt buckle. He hadn't seen that in a while. Since before he went to Afghanistan. Before he met Hannah. Before he screwed up his life.

Seeing the belt buckle for the first time, it dawned on him how much he messed up his life. The belt buckle brought back the good memories of Bones and him. Booth missed his happy-go-lucky demeanor, something that had been missing for a while now. More than anything, Booth missed Bones at his side.

* * *

Before going to the Hoover, Booth stopped at the lab to talk to Angela. As he walked through security, he received a glare from one of the security men which was odd because he never used to have any problems with them. But then again, that was then, and it was the present. Things changed. As much as Bones denied it, everything changed, everyone evolved. Including herself. She just didn't know it.

Booth was almost at the artist's office when he heard his name being called from the opposite direction.

"Seeley!" a voice bellowed from across the lab.

Booth turned to see Cam standing in the doorway of her office. She had her arms folded across her chest and was ever so slightly shaking her head with a look of pity and loathing on her face. She beckoned for him to follow her into her office. Booth thought about ignoring her and continuing on to see Angela, but he knew he couldn't avoid Cam for long. And with the look he was receiving, he knew it would be best if he talked to her first.

He crossed the lab and entered Cam's office without making eye contact with her again. Once he was inside, Cam abandoned her post at her doorway, and shut the door for privacy.

"I warned you Seeley," Cam said. "I told you. If you cracked that shell, there was no going back."

"I don't know what you're talking about Camille," Booth replied defensively.

"Don't play dumb Booth. You and I both know what I'm talking about," she said with a glare.

Booth looked down. He knew couldn't lie anymore.

"She didn't want me," Booth whispered, almost inaudibly. "I told her I knew. I told her I was that guy, and she said no. She didn't want me Cam, what was I supposed to do?" He looked up at her with his puppy dog eyes.

But Cam wasn't buying it.

"What were you supposed to do? Fight for her Seeley," Cam replied. "You were supposed to fight for her."

Booth looked shocked as Cam answered his rhetorical question.

"She told me she couldn't change. That she couldn't give me what I wanted. But I didnt want her to change, I don't want her to change," Booth began.

"Well did you tell her that?"

Booth looked away sheepishly. No, he hadn't told her that. Instead he had told her that he had to move on. Looking back, he realized how stupid he was.

"Did you ever think she was scared? You went from 0 to 60 with her. One minute you're just friends, just partners, and the next you're offering your heart. She's delicate, Seeley," Cam said. "You of all people should know that."

Cam was right. But then something dawned on him. How did she know what had happened between him and Bones. He hadn't told anyone. It was something he had kept to himself, just like he didn't tell anyone of his proposal.

"How do you know all this—" Booth began.

"When Dr. Brennan came to me telling me she would be leaving, I had to get an explanation. I couldn't let our best forensic anthropologist just leave for no reason. So I asked her why she was unexpectedly leaving for a dig," Cam said. "And she told me."

* * *

**Flashback**

Dr. Brennan sighed as she filled out the paper work for her leave. It was a simple task, but an annoying one nonetheless. Some of the questions it asked, she didn't know the answer to. For example, when it asked her the date she would be returning, she had to think, for she did not know when she would return.

She thought about Booth, and Hannah and their happy life together. It was the real deal. As serious as a heart attack. Knowing Booth and how much he was in love with Hannah, made her realize that very soon, Hannah Burley could be Hannah Booth.

'Because that's what Booth wants,' Brennan thought to herself. 'Someone to spend 30, or 40, or 50 years with. And that person, is obviously not me.'

Her vision became blurry for a second, before she reeled herself in. She was Dr. Temperance Brennan for god's sakes. She was a world-renown forensic anthropologist, a bestselling author. What was she doing getting herself worked up over some man?

Any feelings of doubt that she had, were now gone. She was going to Sicily and North Africa to identify Stone Age hunters that were suspected of being even older than they appeared. And she was excited. Her previous anxieties about Booth had clouded her rational judgment. But with her feelings locked back up, she could think clearly.

It would be exciting to work alongside the world's best anthropologists. Maluku had been a joke, a scam. There was nothing really worth discovering. But this on the other hand was the real deal.

The anthropologist who had invited her to lead the dig sent her x-rays and pictures of one of the hunters, and from what she could tell from a picture (which was a lot), they were legitimate. Adrenaline coursed through her body as she thought of her upcoming trip.

Now that she was resolved, the paperwork flew by. She put a year from now as the date she was returning. She could always change it but for now, a year seemed appropriate.

When Brennan entered Cam's office, Cam knew immediately something was wrong. Usually Dr. Brennan walked with confidence, but reserve ever since she and Seeley got back. Today, it was different. The look on her face was happy, excited even. Dr. Brennan had been happy before, but it wasn't the same. The excitement and adrenaline oozed off her. It was almost tangible in the air.

"Dr. Brennan, what brings you here?" Dr. Saroyan asked.

Without giving a response, Brennan handed Cam the papers that she had been holding. After scanning the first few lines, Cam looked up.

"What's this?" Cam asked incredulously. "You can't leave. You just got back!"

"I got back over a month ago Cam, that hardly qualifies as 'just getting back'," Brennan replied rationally. "I've been offered to head a dig in the Mediterranean. They've found remains dating back to the Stone Age, maybe even Mesolithic or Paleolithic Age. I can't pass up an opportunity like this."

"You said the same thing about Maluku, and that didn't turn out as you had expected. What makes this different?"

"I received some photos and x-rays of some of the bodies they uncovered. With my skill, it was easy for me to ascertain that they dated back to the Neolithic Revolution. Another was from even before that," Brennan's eyes glinted with excitement as she told Cam of what she had discovered." It seems as if they have uncovered a burial ground of a specific tribe. Every skeleton shared physical markers which led me to believe they shared a line of ancestry. When I told my fellow anthropologists what I had determined from the photos, they affirmed my theory. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I have to take it."

Cam sighed and shook her head. She knew there was nothing she could do to stop her. It did seem like a plausible reason to take leave, but Cam still didn't like it.

"How long will you be gone?"

"I'm not certain yet, but I believe a year. Maybe more, but probably not less," Brennan said bluntly.

"Is this about Booth?" Cam asked.

All of a sudden, Brennan didn't seem so excited anymore. Her eyes glazed over for a moment before hardening.

After Cam adopted Michelle, she became a lot more observant. It was her maternal instincts kicking in. She noticed a lot more than she let on. She had to; after all, she did have a teenage daughter.

Cam had picked up on the tension that was growing between the two partners. They weren't the same as they used to be. It's not that they were fighting, because they weren't. They didn't even bicker anymore. And that was strange. Those two were known for their bickering. They simply worked cases together and that was it. Booth rarely came out to the Founding Fathers after cases anymore, he would usually run straight home to Hannah.

Cam respected that Booth had Hannah in his life, but he shouldn't have thrown away all his friends for a woman. A journalist nonetheless. One who traveled all the time, and left him to himself for days on end.

And now Dr. Brennan wanted to go on a yearlong sabbatical to the Mediterranean. There was definitely something fishy about what was happening, and Cam was going to get to the bottom of it.

After a moment's hesitation, Brennan answered.

"No, why would you think that?" she said cocking her head to the side with a semi-confused look on her face.

Cam wasn't buying it.

"Come on Dr. Brennan, you're leaving for a year, even longer. I'd at least like to know why my forensic anthropologist is leaving me again."

All the feelings Brennan had thought she had control over, came rushing back. Her compartmentalizing wasn't working anymore. That's why she needed to get away from it all. She needed distractions.

"Yes," Brennan said softly, unable to meet Cam's gaze. "Yes, it's about Booth."

She paused for a minute. Cam was about to break the silence when Brennan began speaking again.

"Before I left for Maluku, Booth asked me to give us a shot—

"He asked me to put everything I knew on the line because he was 'that guy'. He said he knew from the beginning. How could he have known from the beginning? That's ludicrous. We didn't even know each other, and yet he says he knew from the moment he met me—

"He kissed me—

"He kissed me, and I pushed away."

Brennan paused again to look at Cam. Cam was extremely surprised by what she was hearing. She couldn't believe Seeley asked Brennan to be with him as something more than just a partner.

"I couldn't do it. I'm not what he wants. I don't want marriage, I don't want children. He does. He wants the perfect family. A white picket fence with 2.5 kids and a dog—

Cam looked surprised yet again. She hadn't known Brennan knew that phrase.

"I don't want a dog," Brennan said.

Cam almost laughed. Taking it out of context, it would have been funny. But what Brennan was saying, was very, very serious.

"I don't want what he wants. I can't change for him. I don't know how. I told him that."

She paused yet again.

"And he told me he had to move on."

Cam was shocked. That was it? He gave up so easily? She had warned him, and he hadn't listened.

'Seeley, Seeley, Seeley, what have you done,' Cam thought.

She was about to say something when Brennan started to speak again.

'Oh no,' She thought, 'There's more. Poor Brennan.'

"During my time in Maluku, I found myself missing Booth immensely—

"It was a strange feeling; I hadn't ever felt the way I did before. I would constantly dream of him. There was a longing deep inside me that wouldn't be fulfilled until I saw him again. If that's what love is, then I guess I love Booth—

To say Cam was shocked would be an understatement. Cam never thought that Dr. Brennan would admit her feelings to her. Nonetheless herself.

"I planned on telling him about my feelings when we got back, but when we arrived back to Washington, he already had moved on. He told me that he and Hannah were 'as serious as a heart attack'. Heart attacks are very serious, so I guess they were too. I knew I had missed my chance—

"After the Lauren Eames case, I told Booth that I didn't want to have any regrets. And turning him down is a regret I have to live with every day. He told me that he loved Hannah. She wasn't a consolation prize—

Cam was furious. How dare he say that to her? He of all people should know how delicate Brennan is. How could he be so selfish?

"I accept that. He has the right to move on. But so do I. Lately, it's been getting harder and harder to compartmentalize with him throwing Hannah around in my face. I do like Hannah and I believe we have come to be good friends. However, it is not easy for me. All I want for Booth is to be happy. If he's happy, then I'm happy for him. Yet, I find it hard to be happy myself when he no longer regards us as friends. It's been so long since we've had drinks after a case, or shared fries at the diner. I can't handle it anymore. He's found his happiness. I think I deserve to find mine."

Cam stood up, and hugged her. To her astonishment, Brennan returned the hug.

"I understand," Cam said. "I hope you're dig goes as you've planned."

Brennan pulled away and looked at Cam.

"I've come to regard you as a close friend Cam. Thank you for understanding my situation. This is an opportunity for me to move on, and I am more than happy to take it."

Cam nodded and sat back down again.

"I'll be by in the next few days to finish up the extra paperwork. Dr. Edison will be the new forensic anthropologist while I am gone. He and Wendall can alternate cases so that the workload is not overwhelming." Brennan said as she walked out of Cam's office.

As Cam listened to Brennan's footsteps fading away, she processed all the information Brennan had just given her. Booth messed up big time. And she didn't think he would be able to fix it.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

As Cam told Booth of Dr. Brennan's visit, he sat down, dejected from what he was hearing. As she got further and further into the story, his eyes began to mist over. By the time she had ended, tears were streaming down his face.

It took a lot for Seeley Booth to cry. He knew it, and Cam knew it. That said something.

"Cam, what have I done?" he said as he put his head in his hands.

"You messed up, big guy, you messed up really bad," she replied as she walked over to lay her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not even with Hannah anymore," Booth said. "We broke up a month ago. I've just been feeling so crappy that I haven't told anyone. I wanted everyone to think I was happy. But honestly, Cam, I'm anything buy."

Cam shook her head.

"Well do you still love her?"

"Who, Hannah? I guess so. But not in the same way I love Bones. The love I had for Hannah will fade. But the love I have for Bones, will always be there. I tried moving on, but I can't. There's no one else for me. It's either Bones, or no one." Booth said.

"Well what are you doing here telling me that?" Cam said trying to lighten the mood. "Go find her and tell her all that you've told me."

Booth looked up at her and gave a weak smile.

He got up.

"Yeah, I will," He said as he walked out of her office.

Now if only he knew where she was…

* * *

**Should I continue?**


	3. The Advice from the Artist

**Author's Note: Please feel free to inbox me or leave a review with suggestions, complaints, or questions. As I said, this is my first fanfic, so I'd like as much feedback as possible. Thanks : )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.**

* * *

As Booth entered Angela's office, he was expecting another slap.

He was pleasantly surprised when he found her sitting at her desk, waiting expectantly, but calmly, for him to speak. Her behavior was a complete 180 degrees from how she was acting yesterday.

She motioned for him to sit down, so he did. As he sat down on the couch, Angela got up to join him.

"Angela—, "Booth began.

Angela cut him off quickly.

"Before you say anything, I want to apologize for the way I acted yesterday. With all these pregnancy hormones, I get a little out of control. But after talking with Jack, I realized that I had been acting a little harsh. I knew you would want to find Brennan so it was just a matter of time before you showed up here," Angela said.

Booth smiled weakly. He appreciated her apology. It lifted his spirits, making him feel a little bit better about himself.

"Thanks Ange," Booth replied.

He took a deep breath, and looked down.

"You were right," he said. "I was a jerk to Bones. I'm not even with Hannah anymore; it's been over for a while. I just used her as an excuse to run from my feelings for Bones. I don't deserve her, Ange, I don't deserve Bones."

Angela's calm appearance disappeared. It was replaced by something softer. Pity almost.

"No, no, Booth, don't say that. It's Brennan, she runs from everything that makes her upset or vulnerable. You abandoned her. Not physically, but emotionally, you were no longer available. Think of how you would feel if she did that to you." Angela said knowingly.

He did. He sat there and thought about it. What if it had been Bones who had come back with a boyfriend? What if she were the one to have 'moved on' and shoved it in his face? Anger boiled inside him. Anger at himself, and as irrational as it was, anger at the hypothetical situation Angela proposed.

He put his head in his hands in shame. It was all his fault.

"I know you must be blaming yourself," Angela said, echoing the words he just thought, "but it's really not all your fault."

Booth looked up at her incredulously. How could she say that? It was his entire fault.

"Really, Booth, it's not all your fault," Angela said again. "Brennan was scared, but she could have told you that she wasn't rejecting you. She should know by now not to talk to you in her scientific garble. She could have told you at any time that she just needed time, but she didn't. "

Booth sighed. He didn't know what to do.

"But now isn't the time to listen to her. Don't give her time, go find her!" said Angela.

"But how?" Booth inquired.

"Luckily for you, she gave me her contact information because she wanted to be kept up to date on me and the baby's health. But I think she unconsciously wanted someone to follow her," Angela said hintingly.

* * *

****FLASHBACK****

As Brennan pulled up to the Hodgins mansion, she gazed in awe. Although she had been there numerous times, it still impressed her how massive and exquisite it was. She parked the car and paused for a moment before getting out. She was going to tell Angela that she was leaving for an indefinite amount of time. That meant that she would probably not be there for the baby's birth. Even though she knew she would one day look back and regret it, it was the best thing for her to do at the moment.

Memories of her and Angela ran through her head. Ange truly was the best friend anyone could have. When she thought that, her thoughts shifted to her other best friend, well more like former best friend.

Booth.

They shared so many memories. So many times of laughter, so many times of angst, and so many times of sadness. But through it all, they still remained partners .They remained best friends. All until Hannah came back.

She knew she had no control over the Hannah situation. And maybe that's why she felt so uncomfortable. Brennan wanted control. She needed it to put things into perspective. She lost all control when Hannah came back.

But it wasn't Hannah's fault and it wasn't Booth's fault either. He had every right to move on, she decided. If only she had spoken up that night in front of the Hoover building. If only she had sent him a letter to tell him she was thinking about him during those long Maluku nights. But she hadn't. She hadn't done anything. Her confession was too late. He had already moved on. And he had every right to.

But so did she.

And that's why she was leaving.

Brennan got out of the car and walked towards the front door. She took a deep breath. It was going to be hard to tell Angela. There was a part of her that still didn't want to leave. But it was subdued by her overwhelming desire to run away.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

Brennan knocked three times before Hodgins answered the door.

"Hey Dr. B, I didn't know you were coming over. But you're always welcome here, you know," he said with a welcoming smile. "Come on in."

She tried to return the smile he offered, but she knew it was a poor attempt. Her smile was weak in comparison to his. And she knew he noticed.

"Hey, is something wrong?" he asked, immediately concerned by her lack of movement and diction.

"No," Brennan paused. "Well, not really. But I have some news to share with you and Angela. She is here isn't she?"

"Yeah of course," Hodgins said with raised eyebrows.

Just as he said that, a very pregnant Angela Montenegro-Hodgins appeared at the foyer.

"Sweetie!" She said waddling to meet Brennan. "What are you doing here? Not that I'm not totally psyched to see you, but what's the occasion?"

"Can we go somewhere to sit and talk?" Brennan asked somewhat nervously.

Angela's eyebrows rose to match her husband. Brennan was nervous. That was completely out of character for her.

"Of course!" Angela replied. "Come into here."

She attempted to match her previously happy tone but she somewhat faltered on the last word. But Brennan didn't catch it. She was too busy walking into the room that Angela had pointed at.

Hodgins and Angela joined her, sitting the couch as Brennan took the opposing chair.

"I have decided to take the Mediterranean dig offer," Brennan said, straight to the point.

Brennan figured that it would be easier to tell them straight up instead of metaphorically beating around the bush.

Angela gasped and Hodgins put his arm around her for comfort.

"What!" Angela screeched. "You can't! You're going to miss out on the baby's birth, and more importantly I'm going to miss you! We just got you back, why are you leaving again? I thought you decided against it?"

"Well, yes, originally I did. But recent events have caused me to reevaluate my priorities. I believe that it is in my own best interests to go on the dig," Brennan said firmly. "I do regret not being here for my goddaughter's birth. But I will leave you with my full contact information so I expect to be contacted with any updates on her condition as well as when you go into labor."

Angela sighed. Brennan's mind was made up. There was no use fighting with her now.

"Alright sweetie, but I expect updates from you too. Don't forget about lil' ol' me when you're off gallivanting on your Mediterranean adventure," Angela said.

Brennan got up to make a move towards the door before pausing and giving Angela a questioning look.

"Of course I won't forget about you, didn't I just say to keep me—" Brennan stopped when she saw Angela's amused expression. "Ohhh, I get it you were being facetious. "

Brennan smiled again at Angela and Hodgins, and left after telling them that she would be leaving next week for her dig.

Angela knew she didn't put up much of a fight, but there must have been a reason for why Brennan was leaving, and she was sure it had to do with their previous conversation about Booth.

The other day Brennan and Angela had had a long chat about Booth and Hannah. During the chat, Brennan had broken down and told Angela everything that had happened between her and Booth. She spilled her feelings. And for the first time in a while, Angela could see behind the walls Brennan rebuilt. Brennan was in pain, and she was getting worse and worse at hiding that pain.

That must have been it.

Angela understood it now. That was why she was leaving. In her blind, hormonal rage, Angela decided something. Booth would have to pay for what he did.

***END OF FLASHBACK ***

* * *

Of course looking back, Angela knew it was silly of her to blame Booth for the whole thing, she knew Brennan played a big role in it. But this was their chance now. Hannah was gone, and Brennan was aware of her own feelings for Booth. They just needed a little push in the right direction.

And Angela, being Angela, was more than happy to give them one.

* * *

**So what do you think?**


End file.
